Tuesday, 26 January 2016

Released in June
2014, exclusively to Tesco in the first instance, Grant’s Signature was an
attempt to give the young people what they want in the spirits market. Aren’t
enough people drinking whisky already, without encouraging the young to take their share of the depleting stocks? Let’s wait
for some of the old duffers to die off first, eh? Anyway, from what I remember
about being young, what they want is something cheap they can knock back before
going out, or enjoy with ice since they won’t have figured out how to enjoy
whisky yet… so is that what this is for?

I’m not sure how
long the exclusivity lasted, but I picked it up in Sainsburys for £16, which
represents a few quid off, but still places it comfortably above the price of
your standard supermarket blends.

I’ve been reasonably
impressed with Grant’s’ affordable output so far – the Family Reserve, Ale Cask
and Sherry Cask editions all provide value for money and fill that gap
in your drinks cabinet that requires an uncomplicated whisky for drinking early
in the evening, or cheekily adding to your uninspiring lager. I’m hoping it
turns out to be a completely different product to the three mentioned above,
and not just a re-branding (it isn’t) – a scam I’ve fallen for before – looking
at you, Dewar’s…

The Signature is
presented in the usual triangular type bottle, but also has a flimsy blue box
that it doesn’t quite fit in snugly. It is bottled at a standard 40% and is
said to be malty and offer biscuity tones. Can a whisky aimed at the
inexperienced drinker’s market also satisfy a more fussy drinker? Let’s find
out.

The first thing
you’re going to notice about the Signature is that it is very pale. I actually
consider that to be a good thing in cheap blends, since it suggests a minimal
amount of artificial colouration has been employed, and it makes a change from
that brown whisky that just seems to
be standard for blended scotch. So far so good.

On the palate, as
you’d expect for a sub £20 blend, there’s a hefty whack of grain so, keeping
the youth market in mind, you wonder, how
is this going to appeal to that market? I hear a lot of inexperienced
drinkers complaining that whisky is too harsh or it burns, so how is this
supposed to convince anyone differently?

Ok, so moving on;
what happens when you drink it properly (as
I call it)? You know, you hold it in your mouth, swish it around, and swallow
it bit by bit – thus effectively mixing your saliva in with it and reducing the
potential burning and choking effects… well, it turns out to be pretty good –
better than that even. There’s a mouthwatering sweetness overriding any
roughness that a whisky lover on a low budget could really get on board with.
And therein lies the problem: you have to treat it with the respect you’d
afford a fine single malt to get the best out of it, so I find it hard to
believe Grant’s are going to be able to win over any of the young generation
they’re supposedly aiming for.

The overall
conclusion then, is that this is a quality low-priced gem. It’s name, Signature, makes it sound less special
and sought after than Family Reserve,
but I think this is actually the better of the two expressions and a worthy
choice to be considered the signature Grant’s expression. Really well done,
Grant’s. I’ll keep coming back as long as you keep producing some quality low
priced blends. Now though, I think it’s time I spent a bit more on a blend to
see where that can take us…

And so ends my 200th post. I know! 200! Next week I'll be beginning my third century with a post about 10 year old Armagnac, Baron de Signognac. Join me then.

Tuesday, 19 January 2016

I don’t tend to
write that much about beer as, much as I like to drink it, I don’t find it that
interesting to think about. Nor do I tend to get that excited about its various
forms or the many thousands of breweries there are around the world. However,
if there is one brewery I’m a fan of, it’s Derbyshire’s Thornbridge. Ever since sampling their wares at the Bearded Theoryfestival a couple of
years ago, I’ve almost become a devotee, seeking them out and happily handing
over more than the cost of the average roasting joint for their generally
outstanding product.

So as part of my
birthday celebrations for this year, Mrs Cake planned a trip to their shop,
which is located at the back of an industrial estate on the edge of the town of
Bakewell – that wasn’t all we did! It wasn’t a shit birthday! I spent more than £50 on a selection of bottles and
a keg, so it seems only fair that we should give them the respect they deserve
with their own post.

AM:PM, 4.5%

“All day IPA”, this
is called, which reminds me of a far unhappier time, when I used to work at a
24 hour call answering service called “AlldayPA”. This is much better than
that. It’s got what I think of as the signature Thornbridge flavour, but it’s a
bit lighter than most of their fare and makes a nice beer for chugging when
you’re really thirsty. 4/5

Lord Marples, 4%

Described as a
“classic British bitter”, I have to say it’s a bit more than that. Not quite
delivering all I want from me Thornbridge, but outstanding if you put it up
against all else the “classic British bitter” genre has to offer. 3.5/5

Chiron 5%

Chiron is a
veritable taste explosion. Marketed as an American Pale Ale, this one literally
blossoms in your mouth after about half a second. One to really savour. 4.5/5

Kipling, 5.2%

I appreciate the
extra strength and the idea of a
South Pacific Pale Ale, but sadly it doesn’t quite reach the heights I think it
should. 3/5

Tzara, 4.8%

Tzara is billed as a
Koln style beer, which I hadn’t
realised was a thing before. That, I suppose, is why these special breweries
exist. So anyway, all that means is that it has been fermented like ale and
then aged (or conditioned) like
lager. What you get here are fruity and bready notes, according to the bottle.
I agree. It is light and dangerously drinkable, proving just right for my
thirsty self’s return from an energetic band rehearsal. Very nice. 4/5

Jehanne, 7.4%

A biere de garde or keeping beer. It’s nice and strong and I enjoyed it, but can’t
remember any further impressions. 4/5

Wild Raven, 6.6%

I gave this 5/5 the
last time I tried it, so that’s quite high praise. A black IPA, it is smooth
and dark and has a long, but not overpoweringly bitter finish. I suspect my palate
was more receptive last time though, as this time I’m giving it… 4.5/5

Beadeca’s Well, 5.3%

A smoked porter,
made with peated malts. I like anything smoked and this is no exception. 4/5

Eroica Britannia, 4.3%

A pale ale to
celebrate Bakewell’s cycling festival – which frankly sounds fabulous in its
own right, and well worth creating a beer for. This is actually one of the least
interesting Thonrbridge offerings that I’ve come across so far. It’s quite
light and tangy, but doesn’t quite push my pedals… so to speak. 3.5/5

Jaipur, 5.9%

This one elicited
particular excitement because it is already a personal favourite of mine.
You’ll certainly have read about it on these pages before. And this time… it’s
a keg. I’ve never bought a keg before, and at 9 pints for around £24, I think
this IPA represents pretty good value. I was informed that it needed to be
consumed by mid February (so within about 3 weeks), and once opened, within 3 days. We made arrangements for Pablo and Veronica
to come round so that Pablo could help out.

Now, I don’t know
what the cause might be, but it just seemed like something was missing in the
product here. Perhaps we waited a little bit too long, or maybe it just doesn’t
taste the same out of a keg as it does from a bottle or cask – or maybe it was
just my tastebuds playing up. Whatever it was, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d
been expecting. I did get smashed though, since Pablo and I consumed the whole
thing between us and chased it with rum and a hefty chunk of mezcal. 4/5,
though it would normally be a 5. I’ve tried IPAs religiously since discovering
this gem, and of 75 other varieties sampled, Jaipur is better than them all,
and twice as good as most.

Versa, 5%

I’m quite a fan of
the weisse beer style that this
offering represents, but I feel this, combined with my high expectations for
Thornbridge products made this one seem
a little disappointing. 3.5/5

Colorado Red, 5.9%

A hopped red ale
made kind of in partnership with Sierra Nevada. Another superb, full of flavour
offering with a lightly bitter finish.
4/5

St. Petersburg, 7.4%

There’s a little bit
of peat coming through in this Imperial Russian Stout, which is very pleasant.
Another solid expression. 3.5/5

Black Harry, 3.9%

A dark, fruity ale
that doesn’t quite hit the spot for me. Mellower than a lot of the other
Thornbridge fare and lacking that awe-inspiring tang. 2.5/5

Bear State, 7%

A “West Coast
IPA”. High in alcohol, big in flavour,
and at £4.20 from Font, this was even
decent value. 4.5/5

Kill Your Darlings, 5%

Described as Vienna style, this one has been lagered for er… I forget; either 5 weeks
or 5 months. It was very nice though. 4/5

Charlie Brown, 6.2%

A brown ale – along
the lines of Newcastle Brown, but better – that, if I remember correctly, is
actually made with peanut butter. I can’t stand peanut butter, so I’d saved
this one to share with Mrs Cake, who loves it. It’s very tangy, and I can
confirm that I couldn’t taste peanut butter. 4/5

Bamberg, 6%

A smoked “bock”. It
was nice to have something this light, but so complex. 4/5

Bracia, 10%

A “rich, dark ale”
from the Thornbridge Hall collection.
Brewed only four times a year in limited
quantities, you need to shell out £8.50 for one of these. Can any beer ever be
worth £8.50? Not really, but I was curious and very much looked forward to
opening it. It had a very long finish and the extreme strength isn’t
overbearing, and while I’m convinced I didn’t allow the price to affect my
score, it doesn’t rate among my favourites. 3.5/5

Cocoa Wonderland, 6.8%

A porter that
incorporates real chocolate into the maturation process. 4/5

Wild Swan, 3.5%

Described as a white
gold pale ale, this is intended for the summertime. It is light and, in my
opinion, a little alcoholically weak, but it manages to be tasty in spite of
that and certainly delivers in terms of refreshment. 4.5/5

Jaipur X, 10%

What better way to
end this list with this celebratory edition of Jaipur that clocks up a massive
10 ABVs? I’d been tempted to buy one of these at £8.50 in Sheffield’s Bath
Hotel, but declined, only to return home and find that Mrs Cake had bought one
for me in my absence. True love, that is.

Can it live up to
expectations? Well: yes. It has that superb, distinctive Jaipur flavour, but on
top of that, you can taste the extra strength and that extra strength is
actually manifested as extra flavour. You have to remember with this one,
you’re getting 500ml, and it is stronger than Carlsberg Special Brew, so if you
drink too fast you might get smashed. The pregnant Mrs Cake had the smallest
sip and said she could already feel the welcoming beer hug.

Why are they so damn good?

Seems a fair
question. And if that’s a fair question, it begs the further query, why are so many other breweries making
beer that doesn’t even approach this quality? Well, I don’t know. I do know
that Thornbridge remains my favourite brewery and one that I’ll be delighted to
continue promoting on these pages for the foreseeable future. Maybe it’s that
they have two breweries – the old one at Thornbridge Hall where they use a
traditional infusion mash ale system and barrel-ageing, and the new one in
Bakewell where the emphasis is on utilisation of technology. You can learn a
bit more about this on their website, or even take a tour, but as far as we’re
concerned for now, all you need to know is it means they’re serious about the
quality and variety of their product and there’s always something new and
interesting emerging. Long may it last.

Wednesday, 13 January 2016

Rum. You like rum? Yeah, it’s all right isn’t it? I’ve never found it to
be something to get particularly excited about myself. I always used to keep
one each of the three types in stock for making cocktails but then I stopped
making cocktails so much and I just never felt inspired enough to replace the
outgoing bottles of rum. Well now I have, and this is the Havana Club Anejo Especial (40%) that I picked up with a few pounds
off (not many) at Tesco.

I have to admit, I
haven’t bought a Havana Club before, though I believe I’ve tried the 3 year old
and remember enjoying it, despite what I would classify as a lack of the kind
of complexity I look for in spirits. That’s endemic of the whole genre of rum,
in my opinion. I could just enjoy it over ice I suppose, but that is no longer
a particular drinking habit of mine.

Let’s start with the
fruits of a little preliminary research, shall we? I had stupidly researched the Havana Club Añejo Reserva instead of the Anejo Especial, which has led to this post being a bit late. It's fair to say, I think, that we can only blame Havana Club for making the names of their rums too similar. The Anejo Reserva was originally reserved for the personal consumption of master distiller Don Navarro, but all that is irrelevant as this one, which tends to be around £10 cheaper, was not.

So what is there to learn about it? Well, going to the master distiller himself, it "whispers the hidden secrets of premium dark rums." No idea what that means. Sounds like bullshit. The website, havana-club.co.uk says it is finished in young white oak barrels, though it doesn't seem to mention how it is aged up until that point - unless it is the 3 year old, and that is aged "in Cuba". So, as ever, not a lot to go on.

On top of all that, it looks like the producer has tweaked the look of the bottle a bit, and also changed the recipe since I bought mine, so all that research above is probably redundant.

Enough research then, I may as well just tell you what I think of the rum. Well, the most telling thing I can say about this is
that it mostly serves as an early afternoon warm-up on the weekend – you know,
when it’s too early to enjoy a scotch, but you want something to give you a
warm embrace in anticipation of a boozy evening. Another telling thing is that I've now had this bottle for a year, and it still isn't finished. Yes, part of that is that I've been holding it back in case I need it to make a cocktail for a guest, but the other part is that it has never called me over and said, "drink me". Which it would have done had it been a little better.

It is very sweet on
entry and very sour towards the end of the mouthful, with lots of citrus. The
finish is of decent enough duration and, in the end, I was surprised to find
that I enjoyed it. The only problem is that I don’t think I generally have need
for anything this sweet.

I’ll be looking at some more varieties of rum later in the year, so feel free to come back if that’s something you’re interested in.

Tuesday, 5 January 2016

Good evening! And
welcome to the new year, 2016. You know what that means, don’t you? It means
that it’s time for one of my favourite blog-related tasks (besides the
drinking), and that’s announcing the three spirits I drank in the previous year
that I deem to be worthy of special attention (so to speak). It was quite a
good year for special spirits, but I won’t be mentioning those that didn’t
quite make the cut. As ever, there’s no overall winner, and these are in no
particular order.

Rum: Plantation 3
Stars (41.2%, £22 for 70cl)

This is the first
time a rum has made it into the top 3 – sure, there’s only been two other years
so far, but that’s still two years without recognition for rum. Rum has just
never struck me as a particularly interesting spirit – too easy drinking, you
might say. Nevertheless, the discovery of this excellent value, excellent
quality white rum was a revelation and
one that has since encouraged me to delve a little deeper into the rum world.
Apparently it’s aged, but the colour then filtered out, or some such thing. I
have no idea why anyone would want to do that, but you can’t deny this is a
wonderfully tasty rum. It’s a couple of percent stronger than your average and
certainly worth the extra pounds it costs compared to lesser and cheaper
alternatives. If I had enough money to keep favourite spirits in stock as well
as trying new ones, this would have a permanent place in my cabinet. I’ll be
posting more about it in the coming months.

Brandy: Asbach
Urbrand (40%, E9.30 for 50cl)

Another first for Spirits of the Year here, as brandy
makes its first ever appearance. Yes, finally a brandy that looks delicious,
and tastes as good as it looks – soft and luxurious, with just the right
balance between sweet and savoury. Slutty with just the right amount of class,
if you will. Or should that be classy with just the right amount of sluttiness?
Whether you do or you don’t, I just like saying that. You can read more about
this one here.

Grappa: Casimiro
Rittochi Nel Tempo (42%, 18 euros for 70cl)

The final place in
this year’s hall of fame is reserved for an example of my favourite spirit
genre, grappa. It was a difficult choice between this one and two, perhaps even
three others, but in the end this soft two year old just oozed class and
emerged as the pick of the bunch. You’ll be able to read more about this one
later in the year.

So there you go, a
mixed bag this year, and no place for a whisky this time. I look forward to
trying a whole new slew of spirits throughout 2016 and seeing who makes the
grade this time next year. In the meantime I’ll contact the various producers
of this year’s winners and announce the good news.

Finally, I haven’t
done it before, but since I’ve been drinking so much beer of late, and also since
there was one absolute standout of the genre last year, I thought I might do a
2015 Beer of the Year. And that accolade goes to Harviestoun Brewery’s Ola Dubh
18. This is Old Engine Oil that has been aged in casks that were
previously used to age the 18 year old Highland Park whisky. It is even better
than it sounds. So congratulations to Harviestoun Brewery also.

And what about 2016?
What do we have in the pipeline? Well, in all honesty, it could be a more
modest affair this year, as I might not have quite as much money for fancy
booze, but I’ll do my best. I’ll let you into a little secret though; it’s only
a few days into the new year and I’ve already found some contenders. On a more
positive note, we’re already planning a return to the area around Lake Garda,
which means even more top quality grappa! Whatever happens, I promise I’ll keep
doing my best for you, so please come back and see what I’ve been getting up
to. Feel free to give me some feedback an’all. I’d love to hear what your
favourite spirits were in 2015.

Definitions

What happens when you zone out after having had a cheeky lunchtime pint.

Alcothusiast:

Not an alcoholic, someone who appreciates booze.

Anxiety, The:

The uneasy feeling that accompanies any noteworthy hangover.

Booze Buffet Mentality:

The propensity people have to go nuts whenever there's a free bar.

Booze Porn:Photos of alcohol.

Bread Chest:Not booze related, but this term describes the indigestion you get from eating too many bread products too quickly. Just putting it out there...

Crawler's Block:The inability to decide where to go next during a pub crawl - often resulting in crawl stagnation and someone saying, "shall we just have another one here?"

Crawl Stagnation:The result of failing to plan a pub crawl sufficiently - lack of a route, theme or over-familiarity with nearby pubs can all be contributing factors.

Excess Induced Alcohol Aversion:An intolerance for a drink caused (usually) by one occasion of overindulgence.

The Family:My whisky collection.

MOMA:

Moment of Maximum Appreciation. Every bottle has one. It's the time you drink it where you enjoy it most.

Old Man Pub:Traditional British pub, renowned for being quiet, cosy and frequented by old men. Much favoured by people who like a nice chat while they drink.Psychological Drinks Cabinet:Collective term relating to the kinds of alcoholic drinks a person has need for.Road Beers:

Cans of beer that you take with you when you go out, to consume on the way.

The 3 Types of Rum:White, gold and dark. Together they form the base of many a great cocktail.

About Me

Neil Cake is interested in all types of booze, but is by no means an authority or expert. Most of the time he's just trying to be funny, but he is learning, and enjoys sharing his adventures and what he learns on the Drink it How You Like it blog.
Thengyuverrymuuuuuch.